Tadaima
by Tukiko K
Summary: When he left, he said he had things to figure out. When he came back, he told her exactly what he'd meant by that.


**TITLE: Tadaima**

**SUMMARY: When he left, he said he had things to figure out. When he came back, he told her exactly what he'd meant by that.**

**RATING: K**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a long time, but I'm back with a new one shot for you. I have very mixed feelings about the last few chapters of Naruto and so I guess this is one of the ways I'm using to let it out.**

**Btw, I had a baby during my hiatus and she's beautiful. I left for a lot of reasons, and I think, finally, I can feel comfortable with coming back. Considering I am a mommy, I don't know how often I'll post chapters, but I do hope it'll be a more frequent occasion. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

TADAIMA

By

Tukiko

Sakura stood by the window, her gaze to the graying sky. Another rainy day. The sun shone dimly in the sky just that morning, but now it hid behind shapeless clouds that stretched as far as she could see. She wished she could see further, maybe then she would know if he was alright. If he was happy.

If he missed her...

It was different this time. There were promises between them, one spoken and one left unsaid. The , the later, she was almost afraid to hope—to entertain the idea that he had meant more. But he had. She was certain of it. She had read between the lines and it was everything.

Sakura looked down, smiling faintly as she touched her forehead, the memory surfacing for the millionth time.

_"You're really gonna leave?" she whispered, heart clenching in her chest. Without giving him a chance to answer, she continued breathlessly. "Tsunade-sama is just about to finish your artificial arm—"_

_"Sakura."_

_Her breath whooshed out and her shoulders tensed._

_"Right now, I need to see the world for myself...see what I was blind to before." Sasuke smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. It seemed ghosts still haunted him. "I have to know the state of the world. I feel like I'm finally able to see and...and if it don't seize this opportunity, I'll miss my chance to see with this kind of clarity." He paused and glanced down a moment, his black fringe shielding his face. When his eyes met hers again, there was a strange intensity in them. "On top of that, there are a few things on my mind that I need to figure out."_

_Sakura looked away as her clenched heart began to pound painfully in her chest. Blood rushed to her head, coloring her cheeks pink. She didn't know why she felt so nervous, he knew how she felt._

_"Well..." she said slowly, trying to gather her words and nerves. "What if I asked you...to take me with you?"_

_When Sasuke didn't immediately respond, she chanced a glance at him and wished she hadn't. He was looking down and away from her, his brows furrowed._

_"This is a journey of atonement for me. My sins have nothing to do with you."_

_Her shoulders slumped and her throat closed. She didn't think she could look at him anymore...not after this. She knew that if she did, she would never be able to put the pieces of her heart back together again_

_"Nothing to do...with me?" _

_After all this time, after never losing hope—continuously loving him—he rejected her._

_Trying to fight the tears blurring her vision, she swallowed over a piece of heart lodged in her throat. He moved into her line of sight and didn't stop. He continued until he was nearly toe to toe with her. Her eyes widened when his fingers landed lightly, but hotly, against her forehead._

_"I'll see you when I get back."_

_She looked into his eyes and saw emotions there that she'd never seen before. His eyes were darker—dilated. They were hooded—intense. He smiled warmly, but uncertain. Her lips parted with a small gasp and her cheeks grew hot. He would be back._

_Smirking, Sasuke whispered, "Thank you."_

_Sakura felt thirteen again, but this time was different. They were different. His words, the same words from four years earlier, meant more. She could see it. She could feel it. And she wasn't wrong._

That was nearly a year ago. Though her heart ached, Sakura smiled softly. She missed him, but he had given her hope. She missed him so much, but she had learned patience and it gave her strength. She had waited four years to be reconciled with him, at least this time he had promised to return. Sakura could have never known just how soon.

~.~.~

Sakura locked her apartment door when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end in reaction to a pulse of chakra. She spun around to see Sasuke standing there. He looked rigid, his eyes wide, as if he hadn't expected to see her...which was absolutely ridiculous since he was standing in front of her apartment.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered.

Sakura took a tentative step before rushing toward him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Taking a moment to react, Sasuke slowly brought his hand up to lightly press against her back, returning the hug.

"I missed you."

Sasuke gasped.

"Don't be so surprised," Sakura laughed.

Smiling, she stepped back and looked at him. Other than the black wrap around his head, he didn't look any different from the last time she had seen him, but his expression did. His jaw was slack, lips slightly parted and his eyes soft.

"Sasuke-kun, what is it?"

He took in a small breath. "Remember when I left, I told you that there was something on my mind that I needed to figure out?"

"Yeah, I remember everything you said."

A smile appeared on his face for a brief second before it was gone, hidden behind a mask. It was back to business.

"Did you ever wonder what I was trying to figure out?"

"Uh...well, sure. I'd be lying if I denied it," she answered. "But, like you said, I had nothing to do with your sins. I figured it was none of my business."

Sasuke's beautifully mismatched eyes narrowed. "You have nothing to do with my sins because you've always been able to suppress my darkness."

Sakura blinked and felt her throat dry up.

He closed his eyes and took a breath, only meeting her eyes again when he spoke.

"I did a lot of thinking about my clan—what is was, what I thought it was, what it could have been...what it could still be." A light dusting of pink spread high on his cheekbones. "I thought about you...couldn't stop thinking about you."

"You missed me?" Sakura whispered.

"You were one of the things I had to figure out. My feelings were another."

"And...did you...figure it out?"

"Aa."

Reaching into his cloak, Sasuke pulled out a thin box and held it out for Sakura to take. Heart pounding in her ears, Sakura reached forward and daintily took it. When she opened it, her hand covered her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.

"It was my mother's."

Inside the box was a sterling silver chain decorated with a pendant of ruby and pearl set in the shape of the Uchiha emblem. Sakura couldn't find the words to speak.

"It's yours now."

Sakura looked up and blinked away her tears. "Oh, Sasuke-kun. I couldn't. This should remain with you until—we're not even—"

"I want you to have it," Sasuke said. He took Sakura's free hand and stared into her eyes. "This isn't a proposal. It's a promise that, one day, I will be deserving of you. On that day, it will be a proposal."

Sakura swallowed.

"Will you accept my promise?"

Sakura smiled and removed her hand from his. Slowly, she held up the necklace, looked at it, and fastened it round her neck. She grinned at Sasuke.

"What do you think?"

He stared at her neck with hooded eyes and an unguarded smile. "I think...I'm home.


End file.
